Meraki Dashboard and Cisco DNA Center compete in the network management category. While Meraki Dashboard is favored for small to medium-sized businesses due to its simplicity and cloud management features, Cisco DNA Center is more suitable for large-scale enterprises, offering enhanced security and integration options.
Features: Meraki Dashboard is noted for its ease of use with cloud management, multilayer filtering, and integrated analytics. It is particularly suitable for small to medium-sized businesses. Cisco DNA Center provides robust tools ideal for larger networks, enhanced AI-driven security features, and seamless integration with Cisco infrastructure, making it comprehensive for enterprise-level needs.
Room for Improvement: Meraki Dashboard users point out licensing issues, costly pricing, and configuration complexity. Cisco DNA Center users criticize it for high costs and deployment complexities, including upgrade challenges, while also highlighting a need for better integration capabilities and improved reporting features.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Meraki Dashboard offers straightforward cloud-based deployment across public and private environments, although users report mixed experiences with customer support, particularly regarding wait times. Cisco DNA Center, being primarily on-premises, poses deployment challenges requiring technical expertise. However, its technical support is well-regarded for responsiveness and effectiveness.
Pricing and ROI: Meraki Dashboard follows a subscription-based model that is perceived as expensive, impacting ROI potential despite its functionality. Cisco DNA Center is also costly, justified mainly for larger enterprises due to its extensive features. Both solutions require substantial investment but can deliver good ROI when fully utilized in the right organizational context.
Although Cisco DNA Center is expensive, we have seen a return on investment in terms of time savings.
Overall, Cisco DNA Center rates eight out of ten as a complete solution.
When our site went down, Cisco's technical support was very responsive and effective, so I would rate them nine out of ten for their support.
The support response time can be slow, sometimes taking up to fifteen hours.
They are instantly available for technical support from Meraki Dashboard.
The solution is designed for large enterprise companies.
We have not encountered any downtime related to the Meraki cloud feature in the last five years.
The AI-driven insights have contributed significantly to faster troubleshooting and predictive analytics.
There is a need for price reductions in developing countries, as the cost of Meraki is quite high.
Improving AI could be a significant role-changer for many aspects.
I would like to enhance my expertise on Cisco Umbrella and Cisco M, which is an endpoint security management tool.
The cost of the Meraki solution is high, which may not be affordable for smaller companies, especially in developing countries.
If we involve a third-party vendor, the price will definitely go up.
The most valuable features include AI-driven insights which make troubleshooting much easier.
With the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard, I get connected clients information, including how much data each client downloaded and what applications they accessed.
You can also implement some security measures over Meraki Dashboard, such as Cisco Umbrella, which is a powerful DNS security tool, and you can manage FTD firewalls through Meraki Dashboard, making it very beneficial.
Meraki Dashboard offers an exceptional centralized management solution that allows easy updates and monitoring of various network features, including bandwidth usage and content filtering.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Cisco DNA Center | 1.4% |
| Meraki Dashboard | 1.1% |
| Other | 97.5% |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 10 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 9 |
| Large Enterprise | 24 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 22 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 25 |
Cisco DNA Center offers a comprehensive platform for network automation and management, providing detailed analytics, enhanced security, and streamlined operations for both wired and wireless networks.
Cisco DNA Center integrates with Cisco infrastructure to deliver efficient network automation and management, helping organizations improve network visibility, security, and control. It supports AI-driven analytics and automated workflows to enhance operational efficiency and reduce errors. Challenges include compatibility with third-party systems, steep learning curve, and complex deployment. Its interface facilitates centralized control, vital for troubleshooting, policy management, and configuration management, with support for zero-touch provisioning and SD-Access.
What are the key features of Cisco DNA Center?In sectors such as healthcare, finance, and retail, Cisco DNA Center is utilized for its ability to enhance security and compliance, manage large-scale networks, and provide detailed analytics for better operational decision-making. Its support for location tracking and policy automation ensures efficient network management across diverse environments.
Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.
The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.
Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,
Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.
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